Anger, the emotion that dare not speak it’s name (if you’re a woman)

Female socialisation. The things that girls hear every day that shapes their minds and their mental maps of how the world is supposed to be. Carers, nurturers, helpmeets, sugar and spice and all things nice, that’s girls and women for you, and woe betide any that fall outside this narrow band of descriptors.

I have news for you. Women are angry. Steaming. Roaring. Angry.

Today, in Spalding a woman and her daughter were killed by her husband. Has this been linked in any way to the 2-3 women killed every week by a former or present partner? Of course not. The murderer has been described as a nice, caring guy by one of his neighbours. And yet, nice caring men don’t generally get a shotgun, load it and murder the people they are supposed to be nicest and most caring towards.

Yesterday, a Tory county councillor tweeted that in his day wolf whistling merely prepared girls for the big bad world. I suppose on the one hand, it’s good that he’s admitting that wolf whistling is on the violence against women spectrum, but not so good that he sees that as ok. That an elected official thinks the systemic abuse of women by men is ok as long as girls are prepared early for it by slimy men commenting on their level of fuckability, often from very early ages, is a repulsive condemnation of his fellow men. It’s not however an unlikely scenario. Street harassment is a serious problem. It prevents women being able to take up public space. For some women, it prevents them being able to leave the house at all.

Yesterday as well, our government voted to spend over £200 billion on a nuclear toy. The same government that has made unprecedented cuts to services across the country. Cuts in legal aid, cuts in benefits, cuts in the NHS, cuts in police, cuts in refuges, cuts in children’s centres.. can you see the pattern yet, kids? Money that could have been spent to improve the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society is being ring-fenced for a toy that no one will ever play with, because hopefully, no one is that stupid.

All of this, and we’re supposed to sit quietly, not make a fuss and possibly make a cup of tea.

Well no. Women are angry, angry about the pay gap, the sexual objectification of women being normalised, emotional labour, unpaid caring, wifework, shitework, being told to be silent, or being told we’re too angry, too loud. Feminazis.

Well, get used to it. The time has come for anger. If you don’t want it aimed at you, don’t be part of the problem.